7 Ingenious IKEA Hacks for Your Backyard
Having a backyard is a luxury and lets face it, also a lot of work to keep it looking like the oasis you want it to be. You could spend a ton of money on planters...

11 Ideas for Better Backyard Privacy
Sunshine and warm temperatures invite you and your family to spend entire days outdoors, so it's important that you be able to enjoy endless hours in your backyar...

Bob Vila's 10 "Must Do" June Projects
June marks the official start of summer, and what better way to celebrate than outside? These coming warm, sunny days are the perfect time to take stock of your o...

How To: Clean a Deck
Come summertime, the deck practically becomes an extension of your house. In fact, when decorated according to typica...

How To: Build a Paver Patio
Patio. The very word conjures up visions of lazy, relaxing afternoons spent with friends and family. For those whose ...

How To: Clean Patio Furniture
A fixture of backyard barbecues and poolside parties, patio furniture must withstand not only the elements, but also ...

8 DIY Pick-Me-Ups for a Plain Patio
<p>Outdoor spaces extend our homes and make the time we spend outside more enjoyable. No matter how small your porch or patio, a few simple ideas can turn yours i...

9 Lessons Learned from Tiny Backyards
It’s a basic human desire to own a little plot of land. But what if your plot is really, really little? With some clever planning and a few spatial and visual tri...

7 Ways to Restart Your Home for Spring
Hello, sunny skies and warm weather! After waking from winter hibernation, you likely have plenty of pent up energy. Use it to your advantage and channel it into ...

9 Ways to Extend Patio Season into Fall
As temperatures drop in the fall, our outdoor activities start to dwindle, and the bustle of life moves indoors. But there are still beautiful days and evenings l...

Genius! DIY Citronella Candles
You mean you can make your own citronella candles? Now, that's genius! Mother and daughter team Vicki and Jennifer at...

10 Steps to Paradise in Your Own Backyard
Any outdoor living space, be it a compact apartment terrace or an expansive poolside patio, becomes much more inviting once it’s been outfitted with a few creatur...

DIY Outdoor Chandelier
I just love candles in mason jars. A few summers ago I bought a package of half-pint jars and some light wire and mad...

DIY Mason Jar Windchime
It was only a matter of time before I tried out my bottle cutter on a mason jar. Here's how I pulled off this mason-j...

DIY Mason Jar Solar Lamp
When the words mason jar and solar lamp come together in the same sentence, I don’t care who you are—you get excited....

12 Seductively Serene Screened Porches
The porch has long been the perfect gathering place for summer evenings. While some folks may favor an open patio, an elevated deck, or a year-round sunroom, scre...

Get Grilling! 10 Best Grills Under $100
Nothing says summer quite like a backyard barbecue. That’s why we did our research to identify some of the top-rated grills on the market today—and just in time f...

How To: Clean a Grill
For some of us, summer doesn't mean sunbathing on the beach or hiking along a mountain trail—it means grilling burger...

Bob Vila's 10 "Must Do" Projects for June
The first day of summer is almost here, and memories of the long, cruel winter have all but left our collective consciousness. Since June is a great month to fire...

7 Easy Budget-Friendly Backyard Makeovers
If your backyard feels a little ho-hum, get ready to give it a makeover. Whether you have a small yard, or a property where acreage is no object, you can enhance ...

Get Inspired! 17 Sensational Deck Designs
A deck can extend your entertaining space into the great outdoors of your yard. You may use it most to host friends and family, or if you’re lucky enough to have ...

Project Update on the Patio and Kitchen
Bob meets with contractor Ed Weller for a project update. The patio is well underway and the landscaping is beginning. A stone grill has been started and, inside,...

Laying Redwood Decking
Bob confers with carpenter Cortney Lofton, as he lays the redwood decking for the back porch.

Tour of the Home's Remodeled Exterior
Bob tours the home's exterior, noting that the crowned gates are complete and that a locking latch has been added to secure the pool. Bob also remarks on the land...

Deck Demolition
Bob and carpenter Bob Ryley begin demolition work on the deck. The supporting beams are cut and the deck parts are carried away, and Bob notes the flaws found in ...

Building a Deck and Stairs
Bob meets with contractor Bill Wilcox to help build a landing and steps up to the French doors. Bob reviews the footings that support the deck, as well as the met...

Laying the Decking for the First Floor
Having reviewed their work on preparing the site, Bob and contractor Bob Ryley begin laying the first-floor decking by using glue and nails to attach the plywood ...

Building a Covered Porch
Bob helps contractor Bob Ryley begin work on constructing the covered porch. Once the joists are in place, and the decking has been laid down, Bob and Bob turn to...

Creating the Porch Railings and Balusters
After reviewing the final stages of the septic system installation, Bob helps contractor Bob Ryley install the decorative porch railings and balusters that Ryley ...

Victorian House Landscaping
Landscape designer Ruth Foster visits the project site to explain her choice of plantings for the formal courtyard garden.

Building the Farmer's Porch
Bob discusses the process of building the farmer's porch with contractor Larry Landers. The natural crowning of wood is discussed, as are methods for ensuring a l...

Applying Rubber Roofing and Flashing
The crew is on the new roof deck applying a rubber roofing material. A thin layer of adhesive is applied and allowed to set before the the rubber is rolled into p...

Framing the Porch Roof
Bob confers with contractor Larry Landers, as Landers and his crew assemble the front porch framework on the Wayland project house. Landers goes on to explain how...

Building the Porch Rail
The carpenter shows Bob the new railing on the deck off the master bedroom, explaining that code requires that it be 36 inches tall. The carpenter then builds a p...

Building the "Floating" Deck
The "floating" deck is built off the master bedroom, over the kitchen. Under the decking, rubber padding is placed.

Pine Porch Ceiling
Contractor Larry Landers installs V-groove pine on the ceiling of the new front porch and demonstrates how to stagger and miter boards for an attractive, old-fash...

Surveying the Deck Damage
Bob and the architect survey the problem areas of the home and eventually focus on the decaying deck.